First of all, we had a written exam on Monday that we're not allowed to fail on. We HAVE to pass this exam in order to continue on in nursing. The marks got posted today and while I didn't fail it, I didn't exactly ace it either. It is safely my lowest mark so far this semester, but I passed and I'm grateful for that.
The morning after this test, there was a practical laboratory exam where we had to perform mastery of skills like taking blood pressure, pulse rate, and breathing rate. I have been practicing on all my unlucky friends and family so I was able to pass the vital signs portion. I haven't got the mark back for the written part so hopefully that went well too. I was soooooo scared about the vital signs because I saw some people fail it. In fact, I was so terrified that I stopped the blood pressure test too soon. I had to check the blood pressure again and I listened very carefully and got it right... phewf! Mastery of these skills is mandatory to continue in the program so I am very relieved that it is over with.
A very odd thing that I discovered during this vitals test is that I might have high blood pressure. I was the patient in one of the scenarios and they were surprised to find that my blood pressure was through the roof. They thought that it was probably due to the stress of the examination situation and the teacher thought that I was holding my breath as well, but I was still recommended to get my blood pressure monitored by a doctor just in case. Of course, hearing that I might have hypertension made me even more worried... argh!
Immediately after this test, I had a group presentation. Can you believe it? It went really well though. I had good group members!
The morning after was an interaction analysis exam, and THEN, the creme-de-la-creme, our entire nursing class was sent to a room for a discussion on academic dishonesty.
I thought it was just a reminder on the school policy as we prepared for the next semester, but it turned out that there were some allegations of cheating and they are asking for more information on the situation. They threatened to punish the entire class if people did not come forward with names or if no one came forward to confess. Needless to say, people were not happy. I won't go into it too much since it has not been resolved yet, but it's a big headache because we are scared of being punished for something we didn't do.
After that emotional meeting, we had to perform some group skits about developmental transitions. That was a nice break from the stress because the skits were entertaining to watch and there was a lot of humour thrown in. I came to appreciate that teacher because she was so thoughtful and respectful of what we had just gone through and she was especially sweet to us and very encouraging. It made me feel better.
So, week 12 is finally over for me and I have just another group presentation, a paper, some assignments, and two final exams to really look forward to.
Meanwhile, it's time to catch up on some sleep. I am really sleep deprived right now. I can't bear to go to sleep knowing that there's an exam the next day. I stay up late to pore over notes and to cram as much as I can into my brain until I basically fall asleep where I'm sitting. Then I know it's game over and it's time to crawl into bed... which is what I'm going to do right now.
Have a great week! I'm out!
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